


Name Signs

by BattlingBard



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Mute Kara Danvers, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-11 20:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15980252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattlingBard/pseuds/BattlingBard
Summary: Another soulmate AU idea: the first word your soulmate will speak to you is on your wrist. What happens when Lena is born without a word on her wrist?Here's the link to the original post on Tumblr! https://kaashymcgraa.tumblr.com/post/169831741305/kaashymcgraa-i-just-had-another-soulmate-au from Kami_lia





	Name Signs

Lena adjusts the watch on her left wrist as she walks down the hallway to her office. As a teenager, she accepted her lack of a soul mark as a constant reminder of the lack of love in her life. She has her company. L-Corp is the love of her life. She’s okay with that. After going off to boarding school, she grew tired of the snarky comments and pitying looks whenever someone saw the unmarked skin on her wrist. She began to grow a collection of watches and bracelets to keep the curiosity at bay. When she was 11, a chemistry experiment led to a burn on her wrist. It was sudden, and she had yelped in pain. The nurse believed the metal of the watch must have become overheated, resulting in the burn on her wrist. The burn is mostly faded.

She sits at her desk and opens her email on her laptop. Her eyes fly over the screen at a remarkable speed, skimming over the blind carbon copied emails that don’t need her direct attention at the moment. Resting her left elbow on the desk, she places her chin on her hand while her right hand continue to scroll. An email from an unfamiliar web address draws her attention.

“CatCo?” Her head comes off of her hand as she stands up straighter in interest. “How did someone from CatCo get my direct email?” She asks her computer.

Curiosity peaked, she opens the email from kdanvers@catco.com.

 

_Good morning, Miss Luthor,_

_My name is Kara Danvers, and I am a reporter with CatCo Magazine. I read your article by Clark Kent in the Daily Planet, and was interested in reaching out to you about a cover piece with CatCo. This month, we are showcasing the influential women of National City. If you are interested, I would like to write an article on L-Corp and what you are hoping to accomplish with the change in direction of the company._

_I spoke with Clark, and he had some very great things to say about L-Corp. With your cross-country move, I believe this article will be the perfect opportunity to share your aspirations with National City._

_If you have an interest in pursuing this article, we can further discuss the details, and I will happily answer any questions that you have._

_I do hope to hear from you,_

_Kara Danvers_

 

Lena doesn’t realize that a tiny smile is playing at the corner of her lips by the time she reaches the end of the email. It’s more than obvious to her that this Kara Danvers person is not as accustomed to the level of formality as the business associates Lena usually corresponds with through emails. She remembers the encounter with Clark Kent after the Venture explosion last month. If it weren’t for Superman swooping in to save the day, L-Corp likely would have been under investigation for the faulty oscillator. The CEO is certain the reason for Superman’s visit to National City in the first place was to check on the Luthor that just moved there, but she doesn’t blame him. If their roles were reversed, she may have done the same thing.

Before she can question her decision, Lena types a response to the reporter, Kara Danvers.

 

_Miss Danvers,_

_Firstly, I appreciate CatCo’s consideration of me for this endeavor. This is, indeed, the type of press L-Corp needs. If you are corresponding personally with Clark Kent, you must be a strong reporter yourself._

_I would be honored to have L-Corp highlighted for its future goals._

_Best,_

_Lena Luthor_

_CEO, L-Corp_

 

She bites her lips, silently debating her words. If Kara Danvers kept her message short and a touch personal, maybe Lena can too. Before she can delete the entire message, she hits send. Releasing the breath she didn’t realize she was holding, she turns her attention to other business.

Barely ten minutes later, a notification appears in the bottom right corner of her screen. Kara Danvers has emailed her back already.

 

_Hello, Miss Luthor_

_Thank you for your response. I really do think we can make a great team to show everyone what you have in store for L-Corp. Clark Kent is an amazing reporter, but I am nowhere near his caliber. That will not stop me from making this a strong article though._

_I’m sure your schedule is way more hectic than mine. If it would be easier for you, we can talk through email. I can send you questions and discussion topics. We can meet when we’ve exchanged all of the necessary information to finalize everything. Ideally, the article will be ready for publication in two weeks._

_Whatever is best for you will work for me!_

_Kara Danvers_

 

Lena taps her fingers on her desk as she contemplates her schedule for the next couple of weeks. As someone that has always been resistant toward reporters, Lena surprises herself by wanting to spend time with this reporter. Before she can think further, another email comes from Kara.

 

_Sorry for the double email!_

_I actually have a list of some discussion topics that way you can have some time to think about them, or gather whatever information you may need. I want to make this as efficient as possible. We don’t have to meet constantly or anything that way, and you can have the time to do all of your CEO responsibilities. I’m sure you are really busy!_

_Please let me know if there is anything you would like to discuss (or not discuss)._

_Kara_

 

Smiling at the very casual nature of the email, Lena opens the attached document. A brief moment of fear flashes through her as she thinks about previous questions she has been asked by reporters. A surprisingly long word document appears before her eyes that go slightly wide at the length. Her fears dissipate as she gets halfway through the first page. Kara Danvers seems genuinely interested in her desire to make L-Corp a force for good. The topics are thought provoking, and some even invoke a spark of renewed passion for new ideas in Lena. She lets out a small burst of laughter when another email from Kara pops onto her screen.

 

_Sorry again!_

_You must think I’m so unprofessional. The document with my outline for the article wasn’t attached to the last email. Here it is._

_Kara_

 

Lena decides it may be best to respond to the woman before the emails continue to come through to her.

 

_Miss Danvers,_

_Your eagerness is endearing. I find your approach intriguing, and I would not be opposed to further discussing this with you in person._

_Would you be available for a meeting this week?_

_Best,_

_Lena Luthor_

 

She bites her thumb, expecting to receive a response rather soon. She scrolls through the documents Kara sent her while she waits. After 30 minutes, she switches her attention to reports that require her review.

A response from Kara doesn’t come until after she returns from a lunch meeting.

 

_Miss Luthor,_

_My apologies for the delay in response. I am available tomorrow at any time._

_Kara_

 

_My afternoon is open tomorrow. If you would like to come to my office at 1:00, we can discuss everything. I will have your name added to the security clearance._

_Lena Luthor_

 

_That’s perfect. I will see you at 1!_

 

Lena opts to leave the conversation at that.

* * *

“Miss Luthor, I have a Miss Danvers here to see you.”

“Send her in, Jess.” Lena doesn’t register the slight hesitation in her assistant’s voice. She smiles professionally from her chair when the door opens. Her breath catches in her throat when the door reveals a beautiful woman, who is not at all what Lena was expecting. She’s breathtaking, and Lena is utterly captivated. Her smile turns more genuine as she watches Kara walk into the office.  “Hello, Miss Danvers.” She’s so enraptured by the gorgeous smile being directed at her that she doesn’t notice another person walking in behind Kara Danvers. She stands to greet the reporter when her eyes finally find the man trailing behind the reporter. “Oh, hello.”

The man steps up beside Kara as they stand across the desk from Lena. “Hi.” The man waves at Lena. “This is Kara Danvers… as you know.” Kara reaches across the desk to shake Lena’s hand with a warm smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Danvers.” Her smile is a touch guarded.

“And I’m Winn.” He shakes Lena’s hand. Lena tries to hide her confusion, but must fail because Kara’s smile turns apologetic. Understanding dawns on Lena when Kara turns to Winn and begins signing to him. Winn turns his own apologetic smile toward Lena. “She apparently forgot to mention some things to both of us before coming here. I’m a friend of Kara’s. I just tagged along to do some interpreting.”

“Oh. I had no idea.” Her eyes widen slightly.

“Kara was really excited about this interview.” Kara nudges Winn with her elbow, but he brushes her off with a sly grin. “She is usually good about letting people know she will be bringing someone along… when she can’t get all of her information through email.” He yelps when Kara pinches him. “Okay. Okay. Geesh.” He pushes Kara’s hand away before turning back to Lena. “She’s mute. Just talk directly to her, and I'll interpret what she signs.”

“Oh. Okay,” Lena says, feeling a little out of her comfort zone. “Please have a seat.” She gestures to the two chairs across from her.

The three of them sit down, and Kara immediately pulls out a notebook and pen from her bag. After a few minutes of adjusting to having an interpreter, the conversation flows freely. Two hours later, and both women are feeling satisfied with what they have accomplished.

“Well, Miss Danvers, I am looking forward to seeing what you create.”

Kara smiles brightly and signs without breaking eye contact with Lena as Winn speaks. “Anything I write will just be the truth of what you are doing. All of the impressive stuff is coming from you.” Kara bites her lip before signing again. “And please call me Kara.”

“Only if you call me Lena.”

Winn raises an eyebrow at Kara, but she ignores it. She taps him on the arm before signing something directly at Winn. He nods before turning to Lena with a smile. “She wants to come up with a name sign for you.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s really inefficient to fingerspell people’s names all the time. If you’re deaf or part of the deaf community, you’re given a name sign. This is mine.” He signs his name sign. Making a “w,” he faces his palm toward his face and moves the tip of his middle finger down the bridge of his nose. He groans before saying, “It’s nerd with a ‘w.’ It’s kind of against the rules to choose your own name, or else I would have something else.”

Lena chuckles. “And what is yours?” She asks Kara.

Kara bites her lip, feeling her cheeks warm. Making a ‘k,” Kara brings her right hand to her heart and makes an x motion with her middle finger. A dazzling smile breaks out on her face when Lena attempts to replicate it. Kara repeats it, and Lena manages to replicate it correctly. Kara gives her a thumbs up before signing again.

Winn interprets for Kara. “I’ll come up with the perfect name sign for you. Don’t worry. It will be so much better than Winn’s.” He finishes the interpretation with an eye roll.

Lena laughs brightly. “I’m honored.” Kara smiles at her. The three of them stand together. Lena smirks before picking up a pen to write her number on a small piece of paper. She folds it before handing it to Kara. “I do hope this isn’t the last time we see each other.”

Kara takes the paper with a blinding smile. She points to her chest before signing “me too” as she mouths the phrase. Winn sees Lena’s smile of understanding, so he opts to let them have their moment.

Over the next week, the three of them meet every day. Lena begins to pick up a few signs much to Kara’s delight. The CEO even finds Winn to be an amusing addition to the interviews. Outside of their interviews, Lena and Kara exchange texts regularly. The evening after their first interview, Kara sent a text to Lena to thank her for the interview. The clear excitement and joy coming through the texts led Lena to continue texting her until she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. In her little spare time, Lena takes an online course for American Sign Language. She doesn’t want to use it with Kara until she feels confident in her ability to use it correctly. Learning and memorizing the signs is not the difficult part for Lena. The grammar is different from English, and the concept of using verifiers to describe and explain different actions/movements is challenging. Lena has even resorted to corresponding with several Gallaudet professors.

Texting Kara becomes the highlight of her days. One night, Kara surprises her by telling her the story of how she was adopted. She doesn’t give Lena complete details, but she does share that she wasn’t always mute. Her parents were killed in an explosion of some kind, but Kara was far enough away to survive. Unfortunately, the explosion did cause some damage, her mutism. She also divulges to Lena that Clark Kent is actually her cousin. In turn, Lena begins sharing her own stories.

The article is published, and Lena finds herself reading it on her couch with a fond smile. She holds the article to her chest when she finishes, and her smile starts to fade as she realizes this is the end of her meetings with Kara. The fear doesn’t get to set in though. As if sensing Lena’s distress, Kara walks through her office door… alone.

“Kara.” She smiles brightly, watching Kara walk to join her on the couch. “Your article is amazing. You flatter me.” She puts the magazine on the coffee table to give Kara her full attention.

Waving her hand, Kara gives a nonchalant shrug with a shy smile. She points to her chest (I). Her left hand is flat and held in front of her with her palm facing herself, and her right hand mimics writing on the left (WRITE). Kara’s left hand falls, and her right hand comes up with only her pointer finger extended just below her chin. She pushes her finger forward and away from her chin (TRUE). She mouths the words, “I wrote the truth,” as she signs, but the corners of her mouth are slightly upturned.

Lena smiles with a tilt of her head. “You’re an amazing writer. I don’t think anyone could have written L-Corp so eloquently.”

Kara smiles and reaches her left hand out to cover Lena’s right. She signs, “I didn’t just write about L-Corp.” Kara adds a sign Lena doesn’t know to the end of that sentence.

Eyebrows scrunching together in confusion, Lena tries to think of what that sign could mean. Opting to look the unknown sign up later, she plasters a smile onto her face. “Have I told you how amazing you are?” She knows her adoration is very obvious.

Smiling shyly, Kara waves her hand as she mouths, “stop it.”

“I only speak the truth.”

Kara playfully narrows her eyes and purses her lips. “That’s my line,” she signs. Lena smirks. They smile at each other a few moments before Kara takes a deep breath. Lena turns her body more toward Kara, silently encouraging her to speak her mind. Kara pulls out her phone from her pocket, and Lena blinks in mild shock. She assumes it must be something long and important, leading Kara to not want to risk a struggle in translation. Kara hands her the phone opened to her notes application.

 

_Please tell me if this is crossing a line… I know we only started talking 2 weeks ago because of the article, but I feel like there’s more than just a professional relationship here. I’ve been thinking of you as more of a friend. I didn’t just come here to see what you think about the article. I wanted to see you. I missed you, and I didn’t want to lose my chance at knowing you more and getting closer to you. I’d love to spend more time with you… if you’ll have me._

 

Lena looks up from Kara’s phone to see the older woman staring intently at her hands fidgeting together in her lap. She watches Kara for a moment before slowly handing the phone back to Kara, who refuses to meet her eyes as she takes her phone back into her own hands. “Kara,” Lena says softly. She waits for Kara to make eye contact before she speaks again. “I would love to.” She smiles before adding, “To spend time with you. I-I’ve been considering you a friend too.”

The smile that breaks out on Kara’s face takes Lena’s breath away. “Really?” Kara signs.

“Of course.” Lena scoots closer to Kara. “I would be honored.”

“No, no, no.” Kara signs. “I would.”

They smile at each other for several moments. “Well, friend… would you like to grab dinner with me?”

Kara perks up instantly at the mention of food. “Takeout at my house?” She signs.

“Lead the way, Miss Danvers.”

The two grow closer, and they begin spending time together regularly. A couple of weeks later, Lena is beyond happy to say that she has a best friend. Her signing has become better, but she has never used it with Kara. The reporter doesn’t mind at all though. The first night that she didn’t have to use her phone to communicate with Lena was an amazing night for both of them. Kara had broken into a smile that could rival the sun’s brightness before beginning to cry in Lena’s arms. Something changed in Lena that night. She wanted to have Kara in her arms for the rest of her life.

After that night, the two spent the end of every day together. One night, they had a game night with Kara’s sister, Alex, and her girlfriend. Lena had never felt a sense of belonging and acceptance from a group of people like that before. When Lena and Kara were left alone in Kara’s apartment, Kara had sat Lena down on the couch with the intention to tell her something important. Lena watched Kara anxiously pace in front of the couch for several minutes before Kara had turned to her with a determined look. With wild, frantic gestures, Kara told Lena that she’s an alien. She had to fingerspell “alien” since Lena was unfamiliar with the sign. Lena had smiled adoringly at Kara, pulled her onto the couch, and asked her to teach her the sign. Kara cried in Lena’s arms again, and she stayed there while she talked about her home and coming to Earth.

Lena finally feels ready to try signing back to Kara. She has spent countless hours practicing through video chatting with deaf people around the country. Although Kara can hear people whispering miles away and has no need to have someone signing to her, Lena wants that connection. She can’t help but feel an imbalance with the use of two languages in one conversation. She wants to communicate with Kara in one language that they can both use. While sitting at her desk, Lena receives an email from one of her Gallaudet acquaintances. Intriguied, she opens the email titled, “I think you should see this.”

Her jaw drops when her eyes see the title of the article in the email. Her eyes grow wider and wider as she reads more of the article. It’s about soulmarks and nonverbal people. Deaf people and mutes are the focus of the article. Deaf people do not have words as their soulmarks. Instead of words, they have matching marks behind their ears. For people that are matched with nonverbal people, they simply do not have a mark.

Slowly, Lena looks up from the computer. Her eyes go unseeing as she considers what exactly she has read.

Kara.

Meeting Kara was like getting the breath stolen from her lungs.

The moment Kara walked out of her office the first time, Lena knew she wanted to learn her language.

Whenever she sees a flash of blonde hair, her heart hammers in her throat in hopes that it’s Kara.

Butterflies seems to take permanent residence in her stomach whenever Kara is near her.

As an alien with impervious skin, Kara can’t get a soulmark.

Kara had told her a hilarious story about her cousin awkwardly finding his soulmate.

Kara.

Suddenly, Lena stands quickly enough to cause her chair to roll back several feet. Barely managing to grab her phone on her way past her desk, she walks straight to the door. Stuck in a state of shock, she stammers out a request for Jess to cancel anything she has for the rest of the day on her way to the elevator. Her driver, thanks to a message from Jess, is waiting for her. Somehow, she finds enough words to tell her driver that she wants the keys. The next thing she remembers is standing in front of Kara’s door with her heart hammering in her ears. Kara opens the door seconds after she knocks.

Lena walks into Kara’s apartment before turning back to face Kara. With shaking hands, Lena signs, “it’s you.”

Kara’s eyes go wide in confusion, shock, and utter happiness at seeing Lena sign for the first time. “What?”

Lena fumbles a moment before she can get the watch off of her wrist. She holds her wrists out for Kara to see. A crinkle appears on Kara’s forehead as she looks down in confusion. Her eyes come back up to find Lena’s. Lena steps close and places a hand on Kara’s cheek. “It’s you, Kara,” she whispers. Kara blinks and understanding dawns on her before she removes the remaining distance between their lips. They both melt into the kiss.

When they pull back, both are wearing blinding smiles. Kara looks down at Lena’s wrist and runs her fingers over the smooth skin. “I don’t understand,” Kara signs. She adds the sign Lena last saw her do several weeks ago in her office.

“What’s that?” Lena signs.

“What?”

Lena copies the sign. Her left hand is open with her fingers together and pointing upward, and her right hand is in the shape of an “L.” The thumb of her right hand makes a wavy line going down her left palm.

Kara’s mouth form an “o” shape. “That?” Lena nods. Kara smiles shyly and looks down for a moment. When she looks back up, her eyes bore into Kara’s. “Your name sign.”

“I have a name sign?” She signs in question. Nodding, Kara smile brightens. “What does it mean?”

Biting her lip, Kara stares into her eye for a moment. With a shy smile, she signs “art,” which is similar to Lena’s name sign - except that the right hand makes the wavy line with the only the pinky up.

“Art?” Lena says as she copies the sign.

Kara nods adamantly. “You are better than any art I have ever seen.” Lena’s breath catches in her throat. Kara picks up her left hand and flips her wrist over to look at it. She points to the barely visible burn there.

Lena furrows her eyebrows together in slight confusion before speaking. “I got burned during a science experience when I was 11. It was… weird, and I never quite figured out what happened. I was wearing a watch, and then there was suddenly a burning feeling. To this day, I still swear my wrist was nowhere near the flame, but…” She looks up to see Kara giving her an extremely focused expression. “What?”

“What day?” Kara signs.

“Huh?” Lena asks.

“What day did that happen?”

Shrugging, Lena signs, “Late September, 2004.”

“22nd?” Kara asks,

Lena nods slowly. “That sounds right.” Before Lena can question her, Kara pulls her into a breathtaking kiss.

They break the kiss, and Kara is looking at Lena with so much love that Lena’s breath is sucked from her lungs. “That’s the day I landed here.” Kara’s eyes fill with tears. She picks up Lena’s hand and points to the scar before signing, “My family crest.”


End file.
